Changes in the body mass index of children, adolescents, and youth: trends observed in the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century

The investigation of changes in the parameters reflecting physical development of children, adolescents, and youth under the influence of genetic, environmental, social, and other factors has both scientific and practical value. Objective. To analyze changes in the body mass index (BMI) of children, adolescents, and youth in the late 20th century and early 21st century in different countries. We used the information form the Scopus database and Russian citation databases. We observed global secular trends demonstrating increasing BMI index and the number of overweight and obese children, adolescents, and youth. The last 40 years were characterized by particularly worrying trends with the proportion of overweight and obese children and adolescents reaching 25.0%. From pathophysiological point of view, this leads to a number of metabolic diseases. In countries with a well-developed industrial sector, the secular trends in height of children, adolescents, and youth weakened in the last decade of the 20th century and in the beginning of the 21st century. By contrast, their body weight continued to increase during this period. Conclusion. Overweight and obesity have become so widespread globally that many researchers are currently talking about an obesity epidemic. Key words: children, body mass index, physical development